These creative image agents brand some of the region’s coolest locales

Tractorbeam worked with Ida Claire on the entire experience.
Photo courtesy of Tractorbeam

Tractorbeam's office is full of ideas and inspiration.
Photo courtesy of Tractorbeam

The Tractorbeam team works as image agents for brands around the world.
Photo courtesy of Tractorbeam

The Belmont Hotel is another one of Tractorbeam's clients.
Photo courtesy of Tractorbeam

Great hotels and restaurants don’t just happen on their own. It’s a group effort, with a team of creatives who come together to design a holistic experience that brings people back again and again. And behind many of the coolest dining and hotel experiences in Texas — Front Burner Restaurants’ Ida Claire, Hotel Derek, and Belmont Hotel, to name a few — is Tractorbeam, a relentlessly passionate creative firm that goes beyond designing logos.

The team at Tractorbeam isn’t what you’d expect from a marketing firm; they’re more like image agents, who build a brand from the ground up — literally, if that’s what it takes.

“We work with people who need a partner to create things,” says partner Eric Benanti. “Sometimes that includes a logo or a website, but we see those as smaller parts of a much bigger picture — a picture that we help our clients define and achieve.”

For instance, when working with a hotel or community developer, Tractorbeam starts with the brand’s identity and overall vision. Then, a team of designers and strategists roll up their sleeves and get to work — collaborating with architects, chefs, developers, interior designers, and more — to bring it all to life. From signage and menus, to web design and digital marketing, Tractorbeam helps their clients create a complete brand vision.

“Who are you as a company? What are you trying to say? We help articulate those answers, and illustrate them down to the last detail, in a way that’s thoughtful and compelling,” Benanti says. “And those are the brands people get behind.”

The agency recently took home awards for restaurant branding and menu systems at the Dallas Society of Visual Communications, including the prestigious Judge’s Choice award for Ida Claire.

Founded by Peter Benanti in 1999, Dallas-based Tractorbeam focuses on growing businesses with design services, strategy, and digital marketing. Clients span the globe, from New York and San Francisco to Hong Kong and London.

The firm also is behind some of the coolest Texas brands. Laudable regional projects include collaborations with Hotel Derek, linen company Peacock Alley, the 800-acre Philips Creek Ranch, Front Burner Restaurants, and the Dallas Stars.